Europe Map (Land) (1)

About this artwork

With this altered map of Europe, Hopkins aims to challenge the accepted concepts of how we are told the world looks. By adding a layer of paint, the artist has made the map slightly unsettling to the viewer. It seems 'not quite right' as she uses recognisable symbols from the original map, such as the red lines signifying main roads, in places where they are not supposed to be. Hopkins uses extremely fine brushes and pens and her working process is painstaking, echoing the technique of the original mapmaker.

Louise Hopkins

Louise Hopkins

Hopkins was born in Hertfordshire and studied at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Polytechnic and Glasgow School of Art. Her work is primarily concerned with the transformation of pre-existing surfaces. These have included furnishing fabrics, song sheets, pages from history books, newspapers and maps. In doing this, she transforms something familiar into a work…